Thursday, January 26, 2017

Hello Again!

I'm back for my yearly "I'm going to blog more" post which I had every intention of writing on New Year's day, and yet here we are at the end of January already! First of all, if you didn't already know, I am in the home stretch of my pregnancy with baby #2. We found out late summer we were expecting, and now know a baby brother for Avery is growing by the day! I am 34 weeks today and can hardly believe how fast time is flying! (We have yet to touch the room that will be his nursery...yikes.) So here is a little interview style recap of the pregnancy so far:

How did you find out you were pregnant?

We decided to stop birth control in May, unsure of how long it would take to conceive this time around but knowing we wanted our first two pretty close in age. In mid-June, the day we got home from a family vacation in the Outer Banks, I took a test on a Saturday morning when Weston was home because I had super vivid dreams the entire week on vacation and woke up at 6am a few days having to pee (these were the first symptoms I had with Avery's pregnancy so I just had a feeling!) and sure enough, there were TWO LINES! It was so fun to have him there in the moment like last time. There's no way I would be able to wait until he was home for work if I would have found out during the week! We were so happy but also a bit in shock with the reality that it was all happening again. As an OB nurse I know the statistics of how long conception can take and unfortunately how often miscarriage happens (ignorance is bliss!) so although so far both pregnancies have started quickly and with a lot of excitement, there has also been a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. The first trimester has been a struggle for me mentally both times because of this, but I owe my sanity through those weeks to my encouraging husband, LOTS of prayer and a home doppler. Pregnancy has proven to be such a needed faith & trust growing experience for me both times, and for that I am so thankful.

How was your first trimester cravings and symptoms?

For most of the first 14 weeks, I was convinced we were having another girl because this pregnancy has been almost identical to Avery's. I was nauseous in the evenings but thankfully not vomitting, and craved super salty foods, carbs, and veggies. It took awhile for me to really pop again, in fact I'm carrying almost identical to Avery even though I'm carrying a boy. I fought fatigue so much more through my first trimester, whether it was hormonal differences or just the fact that I now have a little one to take care of and chase after unlike the first time when I could nap and lay around as much as I wanted. I haven't had any significant symptoms into the second and third trimester, and am thankful to have my energy back and feel pretty much like my normal self except for dressing my growing belly.

How did you find out the gender?

At 14 weeks I chose to get a new blood test done that detects DNA to determine the sex of the baby. Avery's anatomy scan was more stressful than fun when they couldn't see what they needed for an hour to be able to tell us her gender. So this time, I loved that we could not only find out earlier but know for sure the results were correct! In a few days, I had a midwife check the results while I was at work and she revealed the news, we were having a BOY! I immediately called Weston and he was happy to say the least. Avery is such a Daddy's girl and he is wrapped around her little finger, but I knew deep down he was really hoping for a boy. We didn't even bother with a gender reveal party or cute way of telling family and friends, we just called and texted everyone as soon as possible in our excitement. Sure enough, the anatomy scan at 20 weeks was a polar opposite experience from Avery's, with no pressure of seeing the gender, which of course he showed us proudly anyway! We were on cloud nine watching him yawn kick and wiggle around.

Does Avery understand what is happening?

At 18 months she definitely has limited understanding of what is actually coming, but she is obsessed with any kind of baby doll, kissing and holding and rocking them any chance she can. She also loves my belly, always trying to pull up my shirt when she's sitting on my lap. She also kisses it without any prompting which almost brings me to tears every time. If we see a baby in public she will exclaim "bay-bee!" and light up so I am confident she will be an amazing big sister. We will have to watch her though because she has a sweet tendency to share her snacks with her baby dolls, we'll have to work on teaching her that baby brother doesn't eat goldfish ha.
____________________________________________________________________

Avery will be 18 months old in 2 days, so I decided its about time to put off the procrastination of professionally documenting this stage of life. We had intentions of getting family photos done before Christmas, which unfortunately never happened. So this week Kelly Lapp Photography came over on a rainy Monday morning for a documentary session of our routine on a normal morning at home. I am so excited to have these simple memories documented of our time together before baby brother arrives. Plus, we were home in our PJs! No worry of coordinating outfits and less than excited husband and kids.

This year my hope is to cherish the everyday just as these photos do. To slow down, live simply, be present, and soak in the beauty that is life. 2017, you're already proving to be an interesting one but I'm ready to make the best of you!